Report | Argyle 1-1 Hull City
Argyle 1
Cissoko 52
Hull City 1
Coyle 63
Argyle have their first point of the season, following a 1-1 draw at Home Park against Hull City.
After a goalless first period, Ibrahim Cissoko put Argyle in front with a fierce drive, following some neat footwork in the area, but the lead lasted 11 minutes before Hull captain Lewie Coyle bent in an effort off the post.
Neither side ever truly had a strong upper hand; Hull will probably feel they finished each half the stronger, Argyle had the greater number of chances which called Ivor Pandur into action.
Ahead of kick-off, Argyle Head Coach Wayne Rooney selected a side which was essentially an amalgam of his previous two line-ups. A 4-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday had been followed by a 3-0 win over Cheltenham Town in the Carabao Cup, in which nine players had been rotated into the side.
Of those, four - Joe Edwards, Bali Mumba, Ryan Hardie and Adam Randell - kept their spot in the team, while goalkeeper Conor Hazard became the only person to start all three games in Argyle’s season so far.
The back four in front of Hazard featured Edwards and Mumba as right and left backs respectively, with Lewis Gibson and Brendan Galloway filling the central slots. Morgan Whittaker and Cissoko returned to feature in the wide midfield positions, and between them Adam Randell was joined by his fellow central midfielder, and fellow Adam, Adam Forshaw. Up top, Ryan Hardie was backed up by Mustapha Bundu.
Hull, under new boss Tim Walter, had begun with a draw against Bristol City and defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup, both at home. It became apparent early on that Walter’s Tigers were intent on passing out from the back – to a fault.
Numerous times in the opening ten minutes Argyle pinched the ball high up the field, leading to shots from Hardie, Cissoko, Whittaker and Forshaw in the early going. All were on target, but none truly tested Pandur.
Just before the quarter-hour mark, more profligate passing from Hull gave Edwards a chance to score against City again, but he sliced wide.
Frankly, the early stages of the game occasionally resembled a playground game – and not just football; there was a touch of British Bulldog about the sight of each team marauding up the field in turn. That said, Argyle were looking like a totally different prospect to six days earlier, at Hillsborough. The intensity, the desire to win the ball back, was pleasing to see.
For Hull’s part, when they got it right, they looked a smart prospect. One move, instigated by central defender Sean McLaughlin, saw right-back Coyle involved from early in the move, and again later on, turning up on the left flank for a cutback that Randell cleared.
Hull threatened again when a ball fell kindly to Abdulkadir Omur inside the area. His initial effort was blocked, and there appeared a second where it looked like he would regain the ball in a perfect spot, but Argyle recovered sufficiently.
Hull certainly finished the half the brighter. The more they managed to slow the game, the more it seemed to suit them, and a venture down the right in injury-time, ending in a cutback to Marvin Mehlem, yielded probably their best chance of the half. Mehlem leaned back and shot over, much to Argyle’s relief.
Five minutes into the second period, a clever ball into the right-hand channel by Whittaker released Hardie, who tried to cosy one into the corner from a tight angle. It beat the goalkeeper but was always just spinning away from the target. Moments later, at the other end, Liam Millar’s curler was well struck, but a little too high.
The Greens took the lead with their next attack. Hardie did his best to bring down a tricky bouncing ball; he never truly got the ball under, but did enough to prevent any defenders clearing it, and he had Cissoko for back-up. The Dutchman’s fast feet dragged the ball away from Hull’s grasp, and then a firm, controlled finish was too much for Pandur.
Either side of a double Hull substitution – Will Jarvis and new signing Mason Burstow on to try to impact the game – two moments involving Bali Mumba reflected the philosophy Rooney has been discussing since Hillsborough.
The first may not be considered a highlight by Bali himself, but it was more about what he attempted. After a Cissoko stepover-fest on the left, the ball was laid back to Mumba, and in one feint, he evaded two wrong-footed defenders. The fact that Mumba then sliced the ball against his standing foot and it went out for a goal-kick, strange as it sounds, is not relevant. Rooney wants to see chances taken in the right areas.
As long as, that is, things are then done in the right areas. A minute or two later, Hull had an attack down their right, and not only did Mumba ease one player off the ball, he followed up with an excellent second tackle.
Hull, though, kept at it, and found their equaliser as Coyle again got forward from right-back, and hovered in space as Millar drew two players to him. A set back to Coyle, and an arching finish against the post later, and Hull had parity.
Rooney’s reaction was to send on Darko Gyabi and Freddie Issaka for Bundu and Cissoko, and Issaka was quickly in action hitting a deflected shot wide from just inside the area. From the corner, Argyle worked the ball to Whittaker on the edge of the box, and his strike was very, very close to curling in the top corner.
Issaka was next up, stepping inside onto his right foot to drive in a shot that Pandur saved well, although the Tigers’ goalkeeper was less convincing when shovelling a low Whittaker effort away from his goal.
Millar was always looking like Hull’s biggest threat, and he got outside Edwards to fire a low shot wide, before flicking into the pass of Ryan Giles, who sent a tame effort into Hazard’s hands.
The chances were certainly flowing. A low Mumba cross was blocked before reaching Hardie, but Argyle recycled well and Gyabi struck one only just off target.
Argyle made another double change, bringing on Ben Waine and Callum Wright for Hardie and Forshaw, but neither side could find the winning effort, and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.
Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba, 7 Ibrahim Cissoko (35 Freddie Issaka, 64), 8 Joe Edwards (capt), 9 Ryan Hardie (23 Ben Waine 81), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 15 Mustapha Bundu (18 Darko Gyabi, 64), 17 Lewis Gibson, 20 Adam Randell (4 Jordan Houghton, 86), 22 Brendan Galloway, 27 Adam Forshaw (11 Callum Wright, 82). Substitutes: 33 Zak Baker (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs.
Booked: Edwards 34, Cissoko 53, Forshaw 71.
Hull City: 1 Ivor Pandur, 2 Lewie Coyle (capt), 3 Ryan Giles, 5 Alfie Jones, 6 Sean McLoughlin, 7 Liam Millar (41 Tyrell Sellars-Fleming, 89) 8 Marvin Mehlem, 10 Abdulkadir Omur (17 Finley Burns, 82), 18 Xavier Simons, 19 Oscar Estupinan (48 Mason Burstow, 57), 27 Regan Slater (36 Will Jarvis, 58). Substitutes: 31 Anthony Racioppi (gk), 4 Charlie Hughes, 24 Jean Michael Seri, 26 Andy Smith, 29 Matty Jacob.
Booked: Millar 79.
Attendance: 16,306 (623 away)
